Ryan Reynolds Calls For Oscars to Create a Stunt Work Category

As Deadpool & Wolverine prepares to top the box office during its sixth weekend in theaters, Ryan Reynolds took to social media to advocate for stunt performers.

The third installment in the Deadpool franchise has been lauded for its action scenes, and as Reynolds knows better than most, those scenes don’t happen without an amazing stunt team.

In a new post on X, Reynolds argued that stunt performers should be given their own category at The Oscars.

Photo: Ryan Reynolds on X

“Stunt work doesn’t have a category at The Oscars and I hope that’ll change someday. So many films have smashed it this year,” Reynolds wrote. “Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Chaplin were stunt performers as well as filmmakers. Telling stories with their entire bodies.”

The Importance of Stunt Work

Reynolds’s point is well taken. Long before motion pictures had sound, actors told their stories through physical motion and stunt work.

As cinema has shifted towards superhero films and action movies over the last decade, the importance of stunt work has increased.

Harold Llyod in ‘Safety Last’

Getting back to Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds continued:

“This [Deadpool & Wolverine] stunt team over-delivered. A lot of them are friends I’ve worked with for years and I’ll spend the rest of my days doodling their names in my Heidi Stationary, dotting all the ‘i’s’ with little hearts.”

The Ball Is in the Oscar’s Court

Reynolds would go on to praise individual members of Deadpool & Wolverine’s stunt team before ending:

Photo: Ryan Reynolds on X

“If you’d like to see @TheAcademy recognize the amazing work of stunt teams ACROSS THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, let them know!”

Notably, Reynolds is not the only star who has called for the Oscars to add a stunt work category. Earlier this year, Ryan Gosling made a similar plea at the premiere of The Fall Guy.

Photo: Ryan Reynolds on X

Hopefully, Hollywood will heed the stars’ advice and do right by stunt performers across the industry.

You can read Reynold’s full post below.

Stunt work doesn’t have a category at The Oscars and I hope that’ll change someday. So many films have smashed it this year. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Chaplin were stunt performers as well as filmmakers. Telling stories with their entire bodies.

This D&W stunt team… pic.twitter.com/19qfdKJew4

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 28, 2024